Collaborative Design Tools for Teams

Meetings aren’t for updates - they’re where your culture is being built… or broken. In distributed, remote, & hybrid teams, meetings are key moments where team members experience culture together. That makes every meeting a high-stakes opportunity. Yet most teams stay in default mode - using meetings for project updates instead of connection, ideation, debate, and culture-building. Fixing meeting overload isn’t just about having fewer Zooms. It’s about rewiring your communication norms: ✔️ Do we know when to communicate synchronously vs. asynchronously? ✔️ Are we using async tools that give transparency without constant live check-ins? ✔️ Have we aligned on our team values and expected behaviors? 💡 3 ways to reduce meetings and make the remaining ones count: 1️⃣ Co-create a Team Working Agreement. Before you can reinforce values, your team needs to define them. We’ve spent hundreds of hours helping teams do this - and have seen measurable gains in team effectiveness. Key components: ✔️ Shared team goals ✔️ Defining team member roles ✔️ Agreed-upon behaviors ✔️ Communication norms (sync vs. async) 2️⃣ Begin meetings with a connection moment. Relationships fuel trust and collaboration. Kick things off with a check-in like: “What gave you energy this week?” Or tailor it to the topic. In a recent meeting on decision-making norms, we asked: “Speed or certainty - which do you value more when making decisions, and why?” 3️⃣ Make team values part of the agenda. Create a ritual to recognize teammates for living into the team behaviors. Ask the question: “Where did we see our values or team agreements show up this week?” And check in on where could the team have done better. Culture doesn’t happen by accident - especially when your teams are spread across time zones, WFH setups, and multiple office sites. Your meetings can become a powerful tool to build culture with intention. Excerpt from the Work 20XX podcast with Jeff Frick

Collaboration died six meetings ago 7 Ways to Bring it Back to Life It faded, conversation by conversation. Not from bad intentions. But from missed signals like: ❌ “They don’t listen to us.” ❌ “We weren’t looped in.” ❌ “They always take the credit.” These aren’t just frustrations.  They’re signs that collaboration isn’t happening. And when people feel excluded,  they stop offering what makes teams thrive:  ideas, effort, initiative, perspective. 📌 Visual by the brilliant Jill Avey Thank you for capturing this so clearly! Here are 7 Habits That Make Collaboration the Culture (before silos quietly take root): 1️⃣ Turn tension into a conversation  → Ask: “What did that feel like for you?”  → You’ll learn more by listening to what’s not said. → Seek clarity over being right. 2️⃣Create space to stay connected → Schedule 30-min monthly cross-team check-ins → Rotate who leads to share ownership → Focus on what’s evolving, not just what’s done 3️⃣ Share early, not just when it’s perfect → Say: “This is still in draft, what’s missing?” → Invite contribution before decisions are final → Trust grows when feedback is welcomed, not avoided 4️⃣ Recognize how collaboration happens  → Call out those who pulled people together  → Highlight unseen effort, not just outcomes  → Culture shifts when we value how things come together 5️⃣ Align on what success looks like, together  → Define what “good” looks like across teams  → Choose shared outcomes, not isolated metrics  → When teams win together, they stay together 6️⃣ Make it easier to stay in sync  → One tracker. One owner. One clear update  → Keep timelines and owners visible to all  → Simplify so people can focus, not scramble 7️⃣ Ask who else should be involved, early  → “Who else will be impacted by this?”  → Pause until those voices are heard  → Inclusion isn’t a checkbox, it’s a leadership move Collaboration doesn’t just “happen.”  It’s led. And the best leaders don’t wait for it to fail. They invest in it before anything breaks. What’s one way you build collaboration in your team? Let’s share what’s working ↓ ————————— ♻️ Repost to inspire more collaborative leadership 🔔 Follow Justin Hills for practical leadership insights

I once worked with a team that was, quite frankly, toxic. The same two team members routinely derailed meeting agendas. Eye-rolling was a primary form of communication. Side conversations overtook the official discussion. Most members had disengaged, emotionally checking out while physically present. Trust was nonexistent. This wasn't just unpleasant—it was preventing meaningful work from happening. The transformation began with a deceptively simple intervention: establishing clear community agreements. Not generic "respect each other" platitudes, but specific behavioral norms with concrete descriptions of what they looked like in practice. The team agreed to norms like "Listen to understand," "Speak your truth without blame or judgment," and "Be unattached to outcome." For each norm, we articulated exactly what it looked like in action, providing language and behaviors everyone could recognize. More importantly, we implemented structures to uphold these agreements. A "process observer" role was established, rotating among team members, with the explicit responsibility to name when norms were being upheld or broken during meetings. Initially, this felt awkward. When the process observer first said, "I notice we're interrupting each other, which doesn't align with our agreement to listen fully," the room went silent. But within weeks, team members began to self-regulate, sometimes even catching themselves mid-sentence. Trust didn't build overnight. It grew through consistent small actions that demonstrated reliability and integrity—keeping commitments, following through on tasks, acknowledging mistakes. Meeting time was protected and focused on meaningful work rather than administrative tasks that could be handled via email. The team began to practice active listening techniques, learning to paraphrase each other's ideas before responding. This simple practice dramatically shifted the quality of conversation. One team member later told me, "For the first time, I felt like people were actually trying to understand my perspective rather than waiting for their turn to speak." Six months later, the transformation was remarkable. The same team that once couldn't agree on a meeting agenda was collaboratively designing innovative approaches to their work. Conflicts still emerged, but they were about ideas rather than personalities, and they led to better solutions rather than deeper divisions. The lesson was clear: trust doesn't simply happen through team-building exercises or shared experiences. It must be intentionally cultivated through concrete practices, consistently upheld, and regularly reflected upon. Share one trust-building practice that's worked well in your team experience. P.S. If you’re a leader, I recommend checking out my free challenge: The Resilient Leader: 28 Days to Thrive in Uncertainty  https://lnkd.in/gxBnKQ8n

Ever wonder why brainstorming rarely leads to real action? Generating ideas is easy, but unless a group crosses some critical thresholds, those ideas never become a reality. To overcome this collective "thinking-doing gap", we need to overcome four challenges. Let's explore. 1. FOCUS: COLLECTIVE INTUITION Brainstorming generates numerous possibilities, but groups must quickly narrow their focus to one opportunity to pursue. They need to balance something important enough to motivate people with something feasible that can be started now. Balancing aspiration with practicality will keep the group from stalling out. To achieve this, we need to synthesize the group's collective intuition quickly through a transparent process that everyone can understand. 2. OUTCOMES: COLLECTIVE VISUALIZATION Once a group has set a priority, we need to translate that opportunity into a clear, measurable outcome. Lofty vision statements don’t inspire action. A shared, vivid picture of success, developed through a rapid process of collective visualization, creates alignment, ensuring everyone is heading in the same direction. 3. PATHWAYS: COLLECTIVE PLANNING A clear, shared outcome is only half the battle. The next step is building a practical path to get there. Because complex challenges are unpredictable, we must rely on experiments to chart the path. Guideposts or trail markers will help the group assess its progress, manage risk, and make adjustments. A flexible design for multiple experiments will enable continuous learning and adaptation through collective reflection. 4. COMMITMENT: COLLECTIVE LEARNING AND DOING Finally, we need to turn plans into action through concrete commitments. No "command and control" system will suffice. Instead of a single leader, we should design for shared, distributed leadership. We need clear and transparent commitments, so we can rely on mutual accountability to stay on track. We need a process with feedback loops, allowing us to learn and adjust. But that's not all. New collective habits of doing together will also need a process of peer-to-peer coaching. OTHER DESIGN CHALLENGES By crossing these four thresholds—focus, outcome, pathway, and commitment—groups can turn ideas into sustained collective action and tackle even our toughest challenges. But not just once. If we want a significant global impact, our solution must also be: >> Replicable, scalable, and simple enough to be sustainable.  >> Modular and flexible, allowing for customization in different situations.  >> Clear with terms that can cross organizational, scholarly, cultural, and language boundaries.  >> Use a visual language for clear communication.  >> Aligned closely with scholarly research, so we can explain why our solution works. Over 15 years at Purdue University, we successfully addressed these design challenges. The result: Strategic Doing. Now, it is spreading globally. Learn about our journey here: bit.ly/SDWiley

The workplace change process isn’t just about redesigning space; it’s about using the process to redesign how people connect. The discovery process for workplace change is an opportunity to: 🔥 Build Empathy – Employees share experiences about what they need to do their best work, wherever they are working. 🔥 Drive Innovation – Employees engage in conversations about improving systems and processes, which can lead to reduced friction and improved productivity. 🔥 Strengthen Culture – A workplace designed with employees leads to stronger engagement and ownership of the resulting space. When organizations treat workplace change as a dialogue rather than a directive, they create spaces that don’t just house people—they support them. The process itself becomes a tool for building empathy, driving innovation, strengthening culture, and shaping a workplace that reflects how people actually work today. I recently read a great piece by Eoin Higgins on the rise of hospitality-like workplace amenities. He made key points I want to expand on—because employees, not designers, architects, facilities teams, or HR, should define what best serves them. To engage employees, try this structured discussion in small groups (3-4 people). Each question gets 8 minutes (total of 24 minutes). Have participants write their answers silently for one minute, then take turns sharing (1 minute each). The group selects a top idea from each person’s list to report out. Active Contribution vs. Passive Consumption – What ways of working encourage shared ownership of work, policies, processes, technology, and space? Friction as Meaningful Work – Oliver Burkeman suggests challenges create meaning. If friction were seen as valuable rather than something to eliminate, what would you want more (or less) of in your work? Engagement Beyond Perks – True engagement comes from purpose and shared endeavor. How do you connect with our organization’s purpose and others? What would improve engagement for you? These discussions will inform design decisions and foster ownership of outcomes. Research shows early employee participation increases adoption and support of workplace changes - and also builds connections, strengthening culture. Caveat: Don’t ask if you won’t listen—nothing frustrates employees more. Images by Josef Chalat of people sitting in a circle having a conversation (illustration of a facilitation method called "fishbowl").

Most designers get buried in endless documentation. There's something that works better: Playable proof beats pages of text. At Blizzard, I learned that when something was hard to explain in a doc, it was easier to show it with a rough prototype. "All right, this is hard to explain, but let me just showcase what it would look like." Then I'd build something playable and ask: "Do you understand how this feels better?" That question changed everything. Instead of endless back-and-forth on design documents, teams got it immediately. No confusion or misalignments. Here's what I would recommend you to try: 1/ Build a simple prototype of your design 2/ Ask your teammates: "Does it feel better?" 3/ Use that feedback to iterate before writing long docs Design documents have their place. But in my opinion, when you need people to understand how something should feel, nothing beats putting it in their hands. Playable proof gets your ideas the traction they deserve. Show or tell - which do you lean on?

Forget top-down decision-making. Collaboration is the ultimate problem-solving superpower. It amplifies perspectives. It sparks innovation. It builds solutions that stick. Here’s 11 ways collaborative voices can revolutionize your solutions: 1/ Diverse Perspectives: Unlock Hidden Angles → Every voice brings unique insights to the table. → From frontline workers to execs, varied viewpoints spot blind spots. 💡 Leaders: Host cross-functional brainstorms to capture diverse ideas. 2/ Collective Creativity: Ignite Breakthrough Ideas → Collaboration fuels sparks that solo thinkers miss. → Group dynamics turn good ideas into game-changers. 💡 Teams: Use ideation tools to crowdsource creative solutions. 3/ Shared Ownership: Build Buy-In from the Start → When voices shape the solution, commitment follows. → Co-creation ensures everyone’s invested in success. 💡 Managers: Involve teams early in planning to foster accountability. 4/ Real-Time Feedback: Refine Ideas on the Fly → Collaborative rooms catch flaws before they grow. → Instant input sharpens solutions in real time. 💡 Teams: Use platforms like Slack for quick, open feedback loops. 5/ Cultural Alignment: Solutions That Reflect Values → Inclusive voices ensure solutions fit the organization’s ethos. → They bridge gaps between strategy and culture. 💡 Leaders: Invite voices from all levels to align solutions with core values. 6/ Problem-Solving Agility: Adapt Faster Together → Collaborative teams pivot quickly when challenges arise. → Shared knowledge speeds up course corrections. 💡 Teams: Run agile sprints with diverse contributors to stay nimble. 7/ Knowledge Sharing: Amplify Expertise → Every voice adds specialized know-how to the mix. → Collective wisdom outperforms individual expertise. 💡 Managers: Create knowledge hubs for teams to share insights. 8/ Conflict as Catalyst: Turn Tension into Progress → Differing opinions spark deeper exploration. → Healthy debate refines solutions to their strongest form. 💡 Leaders: Foster safe spaces for constructive disagreement. 9/ Inclusive Decision-Making: Solutions That Serve All → Voices from all corners ensure equitable outcomes. → Inclusive processes build trust and fairness. 💡 Teams: Use anonymous voting tools to democratize decisions. 10/ Momentum Through Motivation: Energize the Room → Collaborative environments inspire action. → Shared purpose drives teams to execute with passion. 💡 Managers: Celebrate collective wins to keep morale high. 11/ Scalable Solutions: Built to Last → Solutions shaped by many are robust and adaptable. → They withstand scrutiny and evolve with needs. 💡 Leaders: Document collaborative processes to replicate success. Collaboration redefines problem-solving by blending voices into solutions that are smarter, stronger, and more sustainable. __________ ♻️ Repost if your network needs these reminders. Follow Carolyn Healey for real-world leadership insights.

Practical #designops Tip 2: Consider creating an ops-specific Figma library to support your UX team. Meeting your team where they work is a powerful mechanism to drive engagement. While centralized knowledge management may occur elsewhere (Confluence, Coda, etc.), there are opportunities to extend and reinforce ways of working in #figma, providing just-in-time resources to designers in their daily workflows. Let’s break down some components to consider building: 👉 Figma File Thumbnails: As your org scales, your team will need to establish Figma file standards for wayfinding within Figma, so that collaborators (e.g. marketing) can find the right file easily. Create a standardized cover thumbnail component that displays properly in Figma’s grid view, and use component properties for the different info displayed: project name, feature team, status, etc. 👉 Design Brief Template: While the need for this will vary by project scope, the premise is getting designers in the habit of writing out their design’s objectives (for both the user and business) ahead of time. Pushing them to have this alongside their designs in Figma does two things: 1) keeps objectives top of mind while designing, and 2) allows others to critique a design’s success in relation to well defined objectives. I prefer to keep the design brief light-touch for designers, and include a space to link out to other relevant documentation (PRD, user research, etc). 👉 Design Principles: Remember those #productdesign principles your team created and then put on some Confluence page that hasn’t been looked at in a year? Get them in your library and include them within / alongside a frequently used DesignOps component. I recommend the design brief above! 👉 Presentation Templates: Not all slide decks will be in Google slides, Keynote, etc. A simple, clean, and branded Figma slide template is helpful to the #ux team - it will save time and create consistency when the team chooses to present from Figma. Build out a few key slide layouts (cover slide, text, image, etc), using variants and properties. If available, make components for industry-specific illustrations or images to pull into slides. 👉 Critique Format Guides: As you mature the #designcritique process, your team will likely use various crit formats. Build small cheat-sheet card components for running each type of crit - what’s the format, what roles exist, tips for giving & receiving feedback, and so on. Designers can drag these in alongside their design as a reference for themselves and crit attendees. 👉 Fun Stuff: Warm-up prompts & exercises, custom emojis of each person on the team, etc. Components can be brought into Figjam as well, so get creative! Consider any task your team is doing in Figma: is there repeated work you can simplify with a #designoperations library? Is there a playbook that would gain better adoption extended alongside design work? Curious to hear from others - what else might you put in here?

Managing remote UX teams at top tech companies like Dropbox and Google has given me unique insights. Here are some best practices to overcome common challenges. - Virtual Design Critiques: Host regular design critique sessions via video conferencing. These allow for real-time feedback and ensure all team members stay aligned and engaged. - Leverage Digital Whiteboarding: Utilize tools like Miro or Mural for collaborative brainstorming and sketching sessions. These digital whiteboards can simulate the in-person experience and foster creativity among remote team members. - Conduct Virtual Usability Testing: Schedule remote usability testing sessions with real users using platforms like UserTesting or Lookback. This allows your team to gather valuable feedback and iterate on designs without needing in-person interactions. - Implement Design Pairing: Pair designers to work together on tasks via screen sharing and collaborative tools. This practice, similar to pair programming in software development, enhances problem-solving and skill-sharing among team members. - Encourage Creative Breaks: Schedule regular creative breaks where team members can share inspiration, personal projects, or recent design trends. This keeps the team engaged and inspired, even when working remotely. What strategies have you found effective for managing remote UX teams?

Strategy + creative alignment. Must-read level: 10. In traditional models, the strategy team develops a strategy, then hands it off to the creative team to execute. This gear shift often leads to issues such as miscommunication, lack of shared vision, and the dilution of strategic insights during the creative process. The handoff can also delay the process and create friction as each team may have a different understanding of the client, goals, and needs. Embracing the model of "everyone at the table the whole way through" is what helps us at Motto® achieve the following: Shared Understanding: Having everyone involved from the beginning ensures a deep, shared understanding of the client's business, industry, goals, and audience. It enables our team, regardless of their specialty, to grasp the nuances of the strategy and contribute to the brand's creative development to achieve alignment. Stronger Communication: By involving everyone from the start, we can eliminate communication barriers that occur when projects are handed off between teams. Everyone has the same information at the same time, eliminating potential misunderstandings and discrepancies. Collective Ownership: Our model promotes a sense of collective ownership and responsibility. Every team member is invested in the project's success because they've been part of the process from the outset. This can enhance motivation and the quality of the output. Efficiency and Speed: By eliminating the handoff, we can save time and increase efficiency. Discussions and decisions happen in real time, with the right people involved, which can expedite the overall process. Synergy: The combination of strategic and creative minds throughout the process can result in more dynamic, innovative outputs on both sides. Strategists offer insights to enhance the creative process, while creatives help visualize and communicate strategic thinking in compelling ways. Continuous Feedback and Iteration: This approach allows for ongoing feedback and adjustments. Since everyone is involved throughout the project, there are opportunities for continuous learning, iteration, and improvement, ensuring the end result aligns with the strategic goals. If your team is about to start a brand creation or brand transformation project, be sure it blends strategy and design thinkers from the get-go. Or just hire 🏴 Motto®. We got you. #branding #brandstrategy #brandingagency #brandthinking